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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



ing of troops over a wide territory and adapting them to 

 the requirements of forest operations. The men are en- 

 gaged in industrial work rather than in military activity 

 and on this account they do not require the same measure 

 of military supervision which goes with ordinary military 

 work. 



"My first work was to look the ground over thor- 

 oughly and make recommendations as to the forces and 



A MONARCH OF THE FRENCH WOODS 

 This picture, brought across by Lieutenant-Colonel Graves, gives an 

 idea of the size to which the silver fir grows in France. This type 

 of tree attains a diameter of two to three feet and frequently grows 

 to a height of 125 feet or more. This one is of exceptional size and 

 of course will not be cut even for military use. 



equipment which would be needed to keep pace with mili- 

 tary development and to prepare for the reception of the 

 forces. Soon after my arrival I was placed in charge of 

 the section of forestry in the engineer corps. The first 

 problem, of course, was to secure the forests in which the 

 work was to be done. I furnished a general idea of what 

 we needed in this respect and a line of procedure was 

 worked out with the French authorities as to the cession 

 of private forests and the granting of cutting rights on 

 those publicly owned. This was done in co-ordination 

 with the allied armies and I found splendid co-operation at 

 the hands of the French authorities and others concerned. 

 "When the Tenth Regiment reached France its men 

 were placed immediately and sent to their respective lo- 

 cations, where the sawmills were to be placed and where 

 they will stay for some time. The same thing was done 

 with the early arrivals of the Twentieth. These sawmill 

 units are necessarily somewhat scattered and the mili- 

 tary organization has been worked out and adapted to 

 the need for specialized men for work of the character 



of that to which they are assigned. .It has proved pos- 

 sible to take the military organization and adapt it very 

 effectively to the industrial undertaking in which these 

 men are engaged and the men are working effectively. 

 The health of the regiments is exceedingly good. In some 

 cases there was slight illness on reaching France, due to 

 the sea voyage, the necessity for keeping everything 

 clamped down through the submarine zone and the rainy 

 weather encountered in France; but the men soon came 

 out of this in splendid shape and we are all very proud of 

 their condition. They are in good camps and their spirits 

 are high and their enthusiasm unbounded. 



"The timber to be cut in our work is marked for our 

 men by French foresters and the cutting is being done on 

 forestry principles, to bring about the best possible re- 

 sults in silviculture. The reports bropght to me through 

 French officials were extremely gratifying, as showing 

 that they were much pleased with the results of the work 

 done by the American regiments." 



For all those connected with the Forest regiments Col- 

 onel Graves voiced appreciation of the work being done 

 by the Welfare Committee for Lumbermen and Foresters 



A STAND OF SILVER FIR IN FRANCE 

 This is one type of forest in which the American Forest and Lum- 

 ber Regiments are at work. The quality, at the silver fir is more 

 like our abies amabilis or Pacific Coast white fir than any other 

 American tree. It grows in the mountains <5f Eastern France. The 

 two trees in the center were trimmed to promote the growth of the 

 younger trees. 



in War Service and other agencies interested in the wel- 

 fare of the men. "In France," said Colonel Graves, "the 

 feeling is that of the keenest appreciation, not merely for 

 the sentiment behind the work, but for the exceedingly 

 useful materials provided for the health and comfort of 



